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Theodotus Inscription – Greek-Speaking Jews and a Synagogue for Travelers
The Theodotus Inscription is a Greek dedicatory text carved on a limestone slab, found on the Ophel slope in Jerusalem and dated to before the destruction of the city in 70 CE. As one of the earliest epigraphic references to a synagogue building in Jerusalem, it offers rare, direct evidence for synagogue life in the late Second Temple period.
The inscription confirms that there was a Greek‑speaking Jewish community in Jerusalem in the first century CE, matching the picture of Greek‑speaking Jews in Acts 6:1. Some scholars have suggested that this building might be the “Synagogue of the Freedmen” mentioned in Acts 6:9, a congregation of Hellenistic Jews originally from the Diaspora.
But some men of the so-called Synagogue of the Freedmen came forward, along with some Cy·reʹni·ans and Alexandrians, and some from Ci·liʹcia and Asia, to dispute with Stephen. – Acts 6:9
ΑΡΧΙΣΥΝΑΓΩΓΟΣ
The text identifies Theodotus, son of Vettanos, as a priest and ΑΡΧΙΣΥΝΑΓΩΓΟΣ – archisynagōgos—“presiding officer of the synagogue”—and notes that both his father and grandfather held the same title. This term appears several times in the New Testament (for example Mark 5:35; Luke 8:49; Acts 13:15; 18:8, 17), showing a close parallel between the inscription and the titles used for synagogue leaders in early Christian texts.
Theodotus states that he built the synagogue “for the reading of the Law and the teaching of the commandments,” and also provided a hostel, rooms, and water installations for visitors from abroad. These lodgings were likely used by Jews coming to Jerusalem for the annual festivals, echoing Acts 2:5’s reference to devout Jews from every nation staying in the city.
At that time devout Jews from every nation under heaven were staying in Jerusalem. – Acts 2:5
This 3D‑printable ArQreation model recreates the inscription slab with crisp Greek lettering, realistic stone texture, and accurate proportions, making the artifact accessible for classrooms, synagogues, and anyone studying the intersection of archaeology, the book of Acts, and early synagogue life in Jerusalem.
Θεόδοτος, υἱὸς Βεττένου, ἱερεὺς καὶ ἀρχισυνάγωγος, υἱὸς ἀρχισυναγώγου, υἱνὸς υἱοῦ ἀρχισυναγώγου, ᾠκοδόμησεν τὴν συναγώγην εἰς ἀνάγνωσιν τῆς νόμου καὶ εἰς διδασκαλίαν τῶν ἐντολῶν, καὶ τὸ ξενόδoχον καὶ τὰ δωμάτια καὶ τὰ ὑδρεῖα εἰς καταλύματα τῶν ἐνδεομένων ἀποδημούντων, ὧν θεμέλια ἔθηκαν οἱ πατέρες αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι καὶ Σιμωνίδης
“Theodotus, son of Vettenos, priest and archisynagogos, son of an archisynagogos, grandson of an archisynagogos, built the synagogue for the reading of the Law and for the teaching of the commandments, and (he built) the hostel, the rooms, and the water installations for the lodging of needy strangers from abroad, whose foundations were laid by his fathers and the elders and Simonides.”
